Trading our Captain for an almost as old Gasol is stupid. Just plain stupid.

The Lakers don't have any leverage with Gasol. His trade value is almost non-existant.

Fakers have said they won't take back 3 year deals that all 4 of our scraps that no one wants (Green, Lee, Bass, Terry) have.

Despite what they sayI think they would take one of those 4 (not 3 of the 4) plus the flexibility that Pierce's contract gives them.

Well, if the Lakers don't want these type of players, Gasol is going nowhere. What team in their right mind would trade anything of real value for an older player with diminishing skills on a terrible contract?

We do need size but I'd throw up if we traded Pierce to the Lakers plus getting a Gasol that's clearly not the same.

I am not sure if LAL need Pierce

LAL have no starting SF and have a surplus of big men. They need Pierce more than they need Gasol.

.....and to support and add to this sentiment, aside from PP being a home town boy in LA and a clutch player and a champion, more importantly and over and above all that PP brings to the Fakers as a needed player:

They want his contract. The flexibility it gives compared to Gasols is what they are looking for.

I don't believe we will ever trade with the Lakers. I believe that Pierce will retire a Celtic maybe after this year. I think a better approach would be to insert Jeff Green, Wilcox, and Sullenger into the starting lineup along with Bradley and Rondo. Bring JET, Barbosa, Pierce, KG, and Fab Melo off the bench. We may still only be a 44 win team that loses in the 1st round but then we can make the off-season (KG, RR with Pierce retiring) trades and possibly a coaching change for next year.

Nevertheless, D'Antoni has marginalized Gasol, leaving him livid and privately expecting to be traded before the February deadline for an athletic forward who fits his coaching designs.

Gasol for Bass (athletic forward), Green (athletic forward), and Terry (bench scoring) works financially and shores up both clubs needs.

I do think that Gasol is a viable possibility for us for reasons I have stated in the OP and throughout this thread as well as the refernce above from Eddie.

Green seems to fit the athletic forward desire they have, and may swallow his 4 yr contract. However, swallowing both Tery's and Bass' contracts in addition will be something that they will not do. And, Bass' athleticism doesn't come close to the far cheaper Earl Clark, whom they already have.

The Fakers have made it very clear that they want as much cap flexibility as possible as soon as possible. Lee, despite this, could interest them because of what he brings (youth, athleticism, defense,3 pt ability)including depth to the roster.

The tough part is, even if they would take both Green and Lee, is that we still have to come up with $4-5 mil more to make the salaries work. Getting a third team involved to give us expirings to give to the Fakers for Bass or Terry may be a little difficult.

Nevertheless, D'Antoni has marginalized Gasol, leaving him livid and privately expecting to be traded before the February deadline for an athletic forward who fits his coaching designs.

Gasol for Bass (athletic forward), Green (athletic forward), and Terry (bench scoring) works financially and shores up both clubs needs.

This would be amazing. I'd chip in for Terry's laser surgery tattoo removal if it would help seal the deal.

What's funny is that this is actually a fairly good deal for both teams, other than the contract length for the Lakers. But LBJ isn't coming to LA, so I don't know what they are crying about.

The Lakers need depth, athleticism, perimeter shooting, and bench scoring. I think this would accomplish all of that. I think Bass could be a good fit with his perimeter shooting and in pick and pops with Nash. Green would be as ideal as it gets for D'Antoni's system. Plus he provides the athleticism needed to defend against Durant and Gay in potential playoff matchups. Terry gives them 3pt shooting and bench scoring.

I would figure their starting lineups/bench could look something like this:

The problem is it ties up a lot of money long term for them and they don't get anyone great in the deal.

That along with this trade not helping them that much anyway. I mean at best they get an 8th seed.

Wouldn't the lakers be looking for cap relief and at least a semi star?

Sure, but it's a buyer's market for Gasol right now. They can sit on him and be terrible, but when is the next time that they have first round picks? 2025? You risk losing Howard at the end of this season, too. Although, he's a clown, and they can give him the most of the only thing that he cares about.

Cap space is a thing, but who do they suppose they can get to come to LA?

My point is that there is no reason to make that trade to us of all people for 3 mediocre players on long term deals.

Im not a gm and I can't think of every player and contract off the top of my head but I can't wrap my head around this.

Mayne if 2 of them were expiring, or maybe if one of then was at least having a good year. Can't you scrounge up 3 players who are mediocre on a lot of teams ans propose the same thing. But with less long term salary?

Why the C's do it: The time is now for the C's championship window, before KG and Pierce are done, which means rolling the dice. Pau, who played GREAT in the Olympics allows KG to play the 4, while putting Pau on the block where he belongs. It dumps Green's terrible contract, and while losing Sully is tough, its not as tough as watching the C's play .500 ball for the end of Pierce and KG's prime. This means more minutes for Wilcox and Barbosa and possibly picking up Delonte West or someone similar since they're losing a lot of guards, but a very bright side for Doc's "Guys gotta go" could be bringing in a big guy who would be top 5 in the East if played properly.

Why the Lakers do it: They only do it if they are committing to D'Antoni's style of fast paced ball. Jeff Green would thrive in this system. They get much needed shooting from Terry. Sully has proven to be the steal of the draft. Lee gives them toughness on D. It means taking on more long term salary, but it upgrades a lot of positions for them while dumping someone who is unhappy and doesn't fit with D'Antoni.